Her nickname Colours Swathi comes from her stint in the Telugu television show Colours, which was telecast on Maa TV.
After playing supporting roles, she made her debut as a lead actress in the Tamil film Subramaniapuram (2008).
Her role in the Telugu film Ashta Chamma (2008) earned her the Filmfare Award and Nandi Award for Best Actress.
She also worked as a dubbing artist, and a playback singer in a few films.
Her other notable films include Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule (2007), Swamy Ra Ra (2013), Amen (2013), and Karthikeya (2014).